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Gestures like charity and philanthropy might not work since they would not address the real problems, Meloni cautioned.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told European Union countries to build strong partnerships with African countries by investing there to find lasting solutions to incessant migration. Gestures like charity and philanthropy might not work since they would not address the real problems, she cautioned.
Meloni, however, said that last month’s deal on the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact partially improved the situation for Italy and other asylum countries; but does not represent a solution to increasing migrant arrivals. Emigration from Africa to countries in the West is more driven by economic reasons, which could not be addressed through charity, she alluded.
EU leaders agreed last month to a new set of regulations governing how member states should respond to people arriving in Europe, which has been criticized by human rights activists. They maintained the reforms introduced were violative of the rights of the people. Meloni also said that supporting Africa’s development was a key plank of Italy during its one-year presidency of the Group of Seven (G7). Rome took over the EU presidency at the start of January.
Italy outlined its proposed strategy in Africa in the so-called Mattei Plan – named after Enrico Mattei, founder of state-controlled oil and gas giant Eni — which aims at expanding cooperation beyond energy. Meloni said the plan includes specific projects, which will be unveiled shortly. But she did not give any details of the project.
The Italian leader admitted that results in tackling illegal migration – one of the top priorities of her far-right coalition government – are so far disappointing. She admitted that electoral promises to stop massive migration flows to Italy have been mostly unfulfilled, and took cognizance of the opposition to such plans from human rights activists and left-wing parties. According to the UNHCR, a total of 260,662 people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea from Northern Africa to Europe since the beginning of 2023.
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Data from Italy’s Interior Ministry showed that migrant arrivals in Italy jumped 50% in 2023 from the previous year. About 155,750 migrants reached Italian shores last year, including more than 17,000 unaccompanied minors, compared to 103,850 in 2022.
